


Wings of Different Colours

by MacBeka (orphan_account)



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Anal Sex, Angel!Bard, Angels vs Demons AU, Bard and Thrandy start to overcome their hatred, But Thrandy always is, Demon AU, Demon!Thranduil, M/M, Misunderstanding, Religious Conflict, Will add as we go on, Wing Kink, angel au, as in angels and demons hate each other, bad influence, heavenly war?, i don't know how to tag, lots of background relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-03
Updated: 2015-04-03
Packaged: 2018-03-21 02:15:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3673737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/MacBeka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bard is an angel. He has always been that way. Some of the others think that they might have been humans once, but Bard doesn't know. Doesn't really care, to be honest. He does his best to be a 'guardian angel' as the humans once called them. He tries to lead people down the right path; the path to God and goodness. He's never had a problem until now.</p>
<p>Thranduil is a demon. He has always been that way. He knows that he was once a human who sold his soul to be successful, but he doesn't know exactly why. Doesn't really care, to be honest. He tries to lead people down the wrong path; the path of darkness and evil. He's never had a problem until now, either.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wings of Different Colours

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LittleLynn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleLynn/gifts).



> I don't think summaries are supposed to be that long, but I like it sooo... 
> 
> Anyway, so this is basically a non-religion-specific angel/demon AU, because the idea that there is only one true God is bullshit (*cough* most Christians *cough*). Before we get started, probably best to let you know that I am a Roman Catholic and I don't know much about other religions, so if anything is remotely offensive or whatever, please PLEASE let me know!

Bard never tired of his job, if it could be called that. It was so much more than a simple livelihood, it was  _who he was_. Bard had lost count of how long he had been looking after mortals put into his charge, though it was certainly a long time. There had never been a job, an order, that he had resented. He did as he was told and never asked questions. He left the question-asking to Bilbo; that angel had always been far too inquisitive for his own good.  Elrond would usually just chuckle to himself and brush the questioning aside with a simple 'You'll see'.

Bard kept to himself, focusing on his work, and his children. Though, they weren't really his children. He didn't even know if he was capable of having children - he'd never had the inclination to try. He'd had sex before, sure, but rarely of his own free will. That wasn't to say that he'd been raped or otherwise assaulted - he chuckled to himself at the thought; there probably wasn't a single being that could overpower him - he simply did what he was told. He was good at that. 

Bilbo often mused aloud about their lack of free will, to which Boromir would reply that it didn't matter as long as they performed their duty. Boromir was an interesting character. For all he spoke of duty and honour, he was sometimes caught sneaking around the halls, though Bard often wondered about the times that he wasn't caught. Bard thought that he had a vague idea of what was going on, if the coy, affectionate smiles from Faramir when they thought Bard wasn't looking. 

Faramir was perhaps the best of his division. He was kind, gentle, understanding, and so often overlooked. Bard had worked with him several times before and still marvelled at the ease with which mortals accepted and believed him. What Faramir saw in a rough, tough battle-hardened warrior-angel was anybody's guess. Not that Bard was going to tell anyone of course. 

Bard shook his head - partially to get rid of his thoughts, but mostly to get the rain out of his hair - and looked down at his current assignment. The young man was walking underneath an umbrella (a wise choice, Bard grumbled), roughly pushing past anyone who didn't move out of his way. They'd had a tip from some of the watchmen that a hit was going down on this guy. From  _them_ , no less. 

Demons didn't surface very often, so few angels had seen them. Bard had only ever seen one through Arwen's memories when she shared them with him. From muted murmurs around a fire late at night, he'd built an image of them in his head. They'd be tall, beautiful, and so ready to seduce. That was, after all, their prerogative, wasn't it? They seduced their victims, stealing away their soul for eternal torture. Bard knew little else, apart from what the others told him. Bain liked to tell the story of the time that one took the form of a dragon and tried to attack him until he shot it down. He would show the sharp tooth hanging on his necklace as proof, though Balin would chuckle to himself and tell Bard that  _that_  was in fact a shark tooth. 

Bard dropped from his perch into an alley, pulling the collar of his coat up against the rain. He was going to lose the mortal if he didn't take to foot, and Elrond would scold him if he used his wings - which were currently pulled tightly against his back with a harness that Dori had designed for them all. He slipped into the late night pedestrian traffic, keeping his head low as he planted thoughts in people's minds to move out of his way ever so slightly. He quickened his pace, wary of losing his target. 

A hand shot out and grabbed his sleeve, ripping him from the crowd into a darkened back street. His back met a filthy brick wall, making him wince with the force on his wings. A quick flex ensured there were no broken bones. His attention immediately fixed on his assailant, who now had their forearm against his throat hard. Bard looked over him quickly and blinked in surprise, frowning. This was the mortal he'd been assigned to. He tried to push but the mortal moved as much as the brick wall at his back would. He sent a mental blast at the creature, because there was no chance this was a mere mortal. It growled and pressed against him harder, it's eyes flashing a vicious yellow.

"That's enough, Tauriel," a sharp voice said from further down the alley. 

The creature holding him hesitated, it's eyes flicking away before lessening the force it was putting on his windpipe. The thing - Tauriel? - bowed it's - her? - head slightly in deference to the voice that spoke. Bard followed the sound of the voice as a man stepped forward, his shoulders low and body relaxed. He had shoulder-length blond hair that was wound together in intricate braids, keeping it out of his face.

"Let the angel go, Tauriel," he said casually, watching them with an interest. 

"But, Legolas\--"

"Do as you're told," the man snapped, stepping closer. 

Tauriel growled at Bard again but pushed off him, moving to the man. 

"Father will want to see him," Tauriel grumbled. 

"We follow our orders. Get out of that ridiculous skin-suit," the man, Legolas, snorted with derision. 

Tauriel huffed but let a black smoke seep out of her body, until she collapsed, her body falling to the floor. Bard blinked in surprise. Even as the body fell, a beautiful woman was stood in its place. Her red hair was done into similar style as the others. 

"Aw, look at the little angel," Tauriel sneered with a laugh. 

"Leave him be. Ada told us to observe, and leave them alone."

"I--" Bard started, his voice slightly hoarse from being choked. "What are you?"

Legolas looked at him curiously for a moment. "They really do keep you all cooped up, don't they?" There was no malice in his voice, it was a simple, curious observation. "My dear angel, we're demons."

Bard was silent for a moment. "Demons?"

"Not what you expected?" Tauriel laughed, crossing her arms. With a simple touch from Legolas, she sighed and settled back, still glaring. 

"No. I was expecting more... evil."

"'Evil'?" Legolas asked with a raised eyebrow. "You do your job, we do ours. At the end of the day, aren't we all just following orders? What's special about this one then, angel?" He gestured to the unconscious mortal with his chin. 

"I was told that they--  _you_  were going to attack him. Is that not true?"

"We don't attack anyone!" Tauriel snapped, growling and baring her teeth. 

"We may tempt and seduce and persuade and entice, but we have never attacked a mortal. We only propose the deal, it is them who signs away their souls." Legolas was looking at him with something unbearably close to pity. 

"May I take him? Lest you change your mind," Bard asked with a little smile. 

Legolas grinned and laughed, nodding. "Be my guest. I'm sorry we interrupted you, we simply picked him."

Bard nodded his head once and picked up the mortal in his charge. He spared the two demons a second glance, watching as they disappeared - literally - into the shadows. He sighed and - dematerialised, flew, whatever anyone wanted to call it - moved to the mortal's home, setting him in his bed. He removed the man's shoes one at a time, slowly so he could properly deal with what just happened. He sighed and let the man drift into a sleep, instead of whatever unconscious state the female demon, Tauriel, left him in. 

It was time he went home. 

He didn't even remember the flight home, but suddenly he was in his own bedroom. He sighed to himself and shrugged off his clothes, folding them neatly, before he unstrapped his wings and stretched them out with an appreciate groan. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would find answers. He'd go to the library, read everything he possibly could about demons. Were those two the exception, or were angels just wrong about them in general?

* * *

This was hopeless. After a quick check this morning on his mortal, he headed straight to the library, grateful for the opportunity to leave his wings free. He had to trawl through their massive index, which led him all over the building; mentions of Lucifer were between 164 and 165, while books on hell were at 5684 to 5702. There couldn't just be a single section about demons, could there? No, of course not. It all just had to be ridiculously  over-complicated . 

After almost a full day, right before he was about to give up (but to be honest, he'd been saying that all afternoon), he found something. A book. A collection of all known demons. It was at 3047, a seemingly random and obscure place for it, as all of the surrounding books were about things like the history of magic and witchcraft in medieval England, or the witch trials in the early US. Nevertheless, Bard wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, as the saying went, and took the book to a desk in the far corner, where he wouldn't be bothered. This late in the day and with such a discovery, he didn't want interruptions. 

The book was dusty and thick, it's pages so ancient that they were lamb skin instead of paper. Carefully setting it down, he opened the first page, his eyes having to adjust to the written language of most mortals. He couldn't remember what it was called, but there was something that niggled at the back of his mind. He'd deal with that later, he decided. There wasn't time now. He had to take his time as he read through the introduction of how the book was organised. Thankfully, it seemed the list was in alphabetical order. It was a small consolation, seeing as he now had to use an ordered alphabet that he didn't quite understand to find the L. The Ts would come later. For now, he wanted to find out who the demon was that the female had answered to with submission. 

It took a long time before he eventually found the right page, gasping in surprise at the sight of the illustration beside the name. It was of a terrifyingly dark shadow clutching the body of a man - a hunter, Bard realised - with the half-eaten corpse of a deer at it's feet. This was a demon's true form, wasn't it? This vicious, evil darkness that killed and slaughtered. But... Legolas hadn't seemed anything like that. In fact, he'd been very polite, hadn't laughed at him like Tauriel had. There was text underneath the name. The font was smaller, more difficult for Bard to read, but he had to know. 

_This demon goes by many names, but is more commonly known as Legolas. He is widely believed to be a prince or other important figure in the hierarchy of hell. Under interrogation, he remained silent. Holy water, salt and even iron did nothing to loosen his tongue, further cementing the belief that he is both ancient and highly-ranking. It wasn't until he was submerged in chrism and prayed over that he gave in and started to speak. At first he spat foul curses and blasphemed but eventually calmed down, promising us that his father would get revenge if we harmed him. When Lady Galadriel said that she did not fear Lucifer, he laughed and said that his father was far more terrifying than Lucifer. After further interrogations, he revealed that he was the son of Thranduil, a previously unnamed demon who has been blamed for all manner of atrocities. _

The page continued, but Bard had to stop. He felt slightly queasy. They submerged him in chrism? That would have been agony, if that was even a strong enough word for what he would have felt. What did they mean, interrogations? And what did Galadriel have to do with it? She was kind, surely she wouldn't be involved in something like this? He didn't really want to know the answer if he was honest with himself. 

He flipped to the T section, though he could find no mention of Tauriel, and all there was written about Thranduil was:

_Ancient and powerful demon, to be avoided at all costs. Do not engage in combat._

Combat? They'd never fought demons, surely? Angels were forgiving and kind, they wouldn't do any of this? 

Bard took a deep breath and stood, turning to replace the book on the shelf, only to be confronted by Faramir. He jumped slightly in surprise, his wings ruffling with annoyance. 

"Faramir," he greeted tersely. "How can I help you?"

"What were you reading?" Faramir asked curiously. 

"Nothing," Bard said quickly - too quickly? - and moved the tome behind his back. 

"You're an awful liar," the angel laughed, clapping Bard's shoulder in a friendly gesture. Hesitantly, Bard handed over the book. 

"Demons? Why do you want to know about demons?"

"I, uh..."

"I can keep a secret, Bard. You've kept mine, after all."

"What secret?"

"Quite," Faramir smiled. Bard was truly confused, but they were getting off track. 

"I had an encounter with some last night. I was trailing a mortal in my care. I think he was... possessed, if that's possible." Faramir simply nodded. "There were two of them."

"Two? How did you fight them off?" Faramir asked, concern lacing with wonder in his voice. 

"I didn't have to. They were very... polite."

Faramir frowned and opened the book to a page that Bard had clearly opened: the page about Legolas.

"This was one of them?" 

Bard nodded. "The other isn't in there."

The two were silent for a moment, each wrapped in their own thoughts and theories. Suddenly, Faramir shut the book and put it back on the shelf. He took Bard's hand, leading him through the halls and across the field to their sleeping quarters. Faramir was surprisingly strong for his size, but Bard didn't struggle too much. He frowned when he realised they were heading to Faramir's rooms. Despite being friends for millennia, he didn't remember ever being in there. 

"Not many have," Faramir answered the thought, though whether because Bard had been speaking aloud or it had been plucked from his mind, he didn't know. It didn't really matter. 

Once they were inside and the door was shut, Faramir spoke again, though still in a hushed tone.

"Boromir will be here soon, he should be able to tell us more."

"Why Boromir?" Bard asked with a frown. 

"He projects his dreams and thoughts sometimes. At the time it's incredibly annoying, but it might prove useful now."

Bard didn't question why they were physically close enough for Faramir to receive his projections, but he'd just proven his theory. Kept his secret, indeed. The others wouldn't be concerned about the manner of their relationship; it was in an angel's nature to love. But if it was common knowledge, Boromir's warrior position might be endangered, so he understood the need for secrecy. 

"How long will he be?"

Faramir seemed to sag with relief. "He won't be long. Go into the bathroom and wait there, I fear he might flee if he sees I'm not alone."

Bard nodded and did as he was told, though he left the door ajar. There wasn't any particular reason, but later he would admit that he was curious about their relationship. After just over a minute, he heard the main door open and saw Boromir appear, a happy grin on his face as he swept Faramir up in his arms. When he set Faramir down, he planted a soft kiss on his lips, his fingers going for Faramir's wings. Faramir brought his hands up between them and pushed slightly, though he lessened the blow by pecking his cheek. 

"Come, I want to talk," Faramir said, leading him further into the room. "Come out, Bard."

When he left the bathroom, he'd have to be blind not to notice the way that Boromir tensed up. 

"It's okay, Boromir, I won't tell anyone, you know that," he promised with a reassuring smile. 

"But..." He glanced between him and Faramir. "What's going on?"

"We just need to talk, okay?"

Boromir nodded and relaxed a little more. "What about?"

"We know about the demons, Boromir," Faramir said, still resting his hand on the other's chest. 

Boromir tensed again, and Bard had no idea how to go about this. Thankfully, Faramir, ever tactful and considerate, did. 

"We just need to talk about them, okay? You're not in trouble, I'm not angry, everything's fine, I promise you."

"I met some," Bard said, sensing it was his turn to talk. "Last night. I just want to know. They were... very different than what was written in the book, and what we've been told."

"Which one did you meet?" Boromir asked cautiously. 

"Legolas."

Boromir hissed in surprise, his feathers sticking up and wings rising in a protective manner over Faramir. "Then you should be dead."

"He was very kind, very polite. He had no intention of harming, even stopped the other one from hurting me."

"Then we're clearly talking about the wrong demon!"

"Quite tall, slim, blond hair, blue eyes. Pointy ears?" Bard asked rhetorically. From the tensing of Boromir's shoulders and the narrowing of his eyes, they clearly  _were_  talking about the right demon. "What are they really like?"

"They're evil, all of them, there's nothing else about them."

"Is that the warrior talking, or my Boromir?" Faramir asked gently, turning the other's face to look at him. "Because my Boromir would never say that."

Boromir seemed to deflate, turning his face into the touch. "Demons are... I don't know. They just seem to be doing what they're told. I've never seen one actively harm a human, or an angel. Unprovoked anyway. Legolas was... Interesting. We had to guard him around the clock, and he was always friendly, even as his skin began to peel and blister from the iron shackles."

Boromir sighed and rested his head on Faramir's shoulder, clutching the back of his shirt. "Can we go to bed?"

"Of course, love. You get changed, I'll see Bard out."

Bard nodded to himself and moved towards the door, looking back at the others. They were whispering something to each other and shared a single, meaningful kiss. Just witnessing it made him feel more like a voyeur than if he'd walked in on them having sex. When Faramir came to him, they hugged briefly. 

"I think more informative tests are in order," Faramir murmured. 

"What do you mean?"

"I think you have to find one. It's the only way you'll get actual answers. Everyone here is too ingrained in what they've been told. Even Boromir."

Bard nodded and left, his mind spinning as he walked through the quiet hallways. When had a slight curiosity exploded into a need for answers? A quest, as Bilbo would jokingly call it. Or perhaps not so jokingly. Where the hell was he supposed to meet a demon? Just wander into hell and say 'Hi'? No, that definitely wasn't the way to go. He sighed and fell into his bed, one wing cramped against the wall while the other fell onto the floor. He wrapped his arms around his pillow. In the course of one day, how had this become his life?

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think with a comment, leave kudos and subscribe! (hopefully this won't get abandoned like my Destiel fic, oops)


End file.
